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Sports of the Times;Doors Opened and Closed at Meet

THEY called this the Gold Rush track meet, a final tuneup for world-class athletes before the Summer Games in Atlanta.

But Saturday night's meet in Durham was more than a mere tuneup. This was a convoluted intersection where last chances met disappointment, misfortune met unexpected opportunity, fading hopes met optimism.

The busiest spot was an area just off the track, in a stuffy tent where participants ambled in and out, told their stories, said their piece.

Early Saturday evening, Carl Lewis, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist, put the best face he could on a disappointing afternoon of competition. He won the long jump with a leap of 26 feet 3 inches.

Hardly a harbinger of the heroics Lewis hopes to perform during the Olympic competition. "I'll be ready when it's time," he said. "I'm not ready to jump as far as I can yet, but I'm not that far away."

Lewis is so used to coming through in the clutch -- uncorking that record-breaking jump or last-gasp lunge at the tape -- that the notion of losing this race against time is unfathomable for the 35-year-old.

Breaux Greer thought it equally unfathomable that he would not compete in at least "two or three" Olympics before he retired. The 19-year-old javelin thrower needed to throw 80 meters (262 feet 5 inches) to earn an Olympic berth. His best was just under 246 feet.

Greer entered the interview tent Saturday as Lewis left. They didn't acknowledge each other, not out of disrespect but out of lack of view: they are small blips on each other's screens.

Lewis spoke solemnly about his age, about winding down but gearing up for one last Gold Rush. He spoke about his Olympic legacy.

Greer, sporting a blond ponytail, speaking with a Louisiana accent, shrugged off the disappointment of not making the team. There would be another. And another.

"Hey, I'll be back," he said smiling. "In four years I'll be five times faster, five times stronger and hopefully I'll throw five times better."

Asked if he had looked forward to marching in the opening ceremony, Greer shook his head. "It'd be nice for my friends to see me," he said. "But as far as I'm concerned, who cares?"

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Torrence was supposed to run the anchor leg but pulled out. The nagging, burning sensation she had felt in her upper thigh a few weeks ago had finally been diagnosed: a muscle strain, some torn fibers.

"The doctors told me that all I need is rest," Torrence said. "But I can't really rest." The normally taciturn sprinter was pleasant and seemed even vulnerable.

"I'm between a rock and a hard place," she said. "I really don't know what to do." So she watched from the sideline.

Despite a bad handoff between Inger Miller and Gail Devers, the relay team ran the fastest time in the world this year. The time lost on the bad connection was made up in large part by D'Andre Hill, 23, who ran the anchor in Torrence's place.

While most of the participants came to Durham looking to tune up, Hill, the cornerstone of Louisiana State University's renowned relay team for the last two years, was on a mission.

She had been on a roll since April, from running a monster anchor leg for L.S.U. at the Penn Relays to making the Olympic squad in the 100 meters. Still, she had not been picked for one of the four relay spots, and it was only on Saturday afternoon that she replaced Torrence. In effect, the door was open and Hill blew through it.

After the race, she said the meet was indeed no mere tuneup. "This was a proving ground for me," she said. "I want to be an integral part of this team."

Now she may have to be.

Deanne Vochatzer, the women's coach, has some difficult decisions to make. Does she risk running her injured star, Torrence, in the relays or rely on a phenomenal young sprinter competing in her first Olympics?